So…I Joined a Gym
- Rosetta Mandisa
- Jan 27, 2016
- 3 min read
Twenty-sixteen is off to a great start! Although I am one of those people who set goals for just about everything in my life, I am not one of those people who make new year resolutions. Every year my intentions are pretty much the same…to make my new year better than my last. Granted, I wanted to slim down another ten pounds this year, I had no intentions of joining a gym to do it. To be quite honest, I think the last time I had a gym membership was like fifteen years ago. I was living in Atlanta at the time and I think it was Lifetime Fitness that was popping up everywhere. My friends and I thought it would be a great idea to join because back then big fitness centers were starting to put tv’s on their stationary machines. So, our great idea was all the rave until one by one we all started making excuses as to why we couldn’t make it to the gym. One missed gym trip led to another until eventually going to the gym was a distant memory. What wasn’t a distant memory was the contract I’d signed saying that I would commit to a one year membership. Even though I’d decided not to go, that did not mean my monthly charges would stop and with more than six months left on that contract, Lifetime Fitness was going to get their money!
Flash forward to 2016, my niece and nephew began going to the gym last year. They are always talking to me about their workout experience and using each other to stay motivated to go. I have a co-worker who happens to go to the same gym as my niece and nephew. After talking with my co-worker one day, she invited me to get a free pass and to go to the gym with her, so I did. Two workout sessions and one Zumba class later, I had somehow arrived at another gym membership. One really great thing about this particular membership is no long term contract. I can cancel at anytime!
So what’s the difference between this membership and the one you had fifteen years ago? Great question! Beside the “no long term contract”, my response would be: my commitment. Fifteen years ago I’m sure I thought being able to go to the gym with my friends to workout and hangout would be fun. But the moment my friends began dropping out, so did I. I had no commitment. My so-called plan to get fit was contingent upon what my friends did or didn’t do. Today, the older and wiser me understands that doing what’s best for me, my life and my family can not be contingent upon what others do, think or feel. What’s really cool about this whole membership thing is how everything kind of fell into place. One day I was talking about it, then when I tried it I realized how much I enjoyed it, found out my insurance covered some of my fees and that in itself was motivating. I had the money and could afford it in my monthly budget. So, why not give it a shot?
When I got home and thought about the whole thing, I realized that some of the best things in life happen to us when we didn’t over-plan, over-focus or over-analyze them. Of course, we can’t always simply throw caution to the wind and do what ever we please, when ever we want. Some things in life need to be planned, budgeted and organized. My point today is, don’t feel the need to over-think every single decision you make. God is really and truly the designer of our lives and there are those times when He lines things up just right so that doing them aren’t a burden or hassle but are placed in a special order to enhance our lives. More often than not, we don’t have to go out of our way to reach our goals. True, we must work towards them and work hard but we don’t have to create some ideal setting in order for our goals to happen. If our goals line up with God’s plan for our lives, He will make sure to lay out a path in front of us to reach them. Will that path be straight and peaceful, maybe or maybe not. As long as we keep the eye of our hearts open to God’s will, calling and purpose for our lives, we will see and be able to walk in the path God has laid out for us.
Getting healthy in mind, body and spirit…:)
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